Kindle library lending feature in beta testing, national launch coming soon

By Mike Flacy September 20, 2011

reading-kindle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

While the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Sony Reader have offered the ability to check out library books in a digital format for a while, Amazon has been slow to roll out support for the function. Announced in April, Amazon partnered with a company called OverDrive that works with over 13,000 public libraries in providing e-book support. Since that announcement, Amazon has been quiet about the development of the relationship as well as the timeline on when the Kindle would be able to access the OverDrive service. As of this week, Amazon started a beta test of the service with public libraries in the Seattle area including the Seattle Public Library.

In order to borrow an e-book from the library and have it delivered onto the Kindle, a user visits the the website of the U.S. library partnered with OverDrive and searches the catalog. Assuming the user has a valid library card, they simply click “Get for Kindle” and the browser is redirected to the corresponding Amazon page. The user can then choose to transfer the book to an authorized Kindle, the free reading app or the Kindle Cloud Reader. However, this service will not work over a 3G connection. The user must have an active Wi-Fi connection to receive the book, otherwise they will be forced to download the e-book to a USB memory stick and transferring the content on a Mac or Windows computer.

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According to OverDrive, the Kindle 1, Kindle 2, Kindle DX and Kindle 3 are all supported for accessing e-books through the library portal. E-book’s typically have a check-out time of two weeks before the book becomes unavailable and Amazon sends out reminder emails when the loan expiration date is within three days. Since the library is paying for a license to lend the book, it’s possible for digital copies to be checked out and users will have to place their name on a waiting list to gain access to the most popular titles.

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Outdoors

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Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

Cars

Volkswagen plans 8 new affordable EVs by 2027, report says

volkswagen affordable evs 2027 id 2all

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Cars

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nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

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